South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet has begun charging passengers for meals on long-haul flights in a move that is expected to trigger other low-cost airlines to follow suit.

Starting from Monday, the low cost airliner began charging for in-flight food and beverages, except drinking water, on its international flights lasting longer than three hours.

“Eastar will continue to increase the range of services to accommodate our passengers by expanding the idea of selling food on all our flights and diversifying seasonal menus later on,” the company’s cabin service director Lee Joo-yeon said.

Passengers need to order their preferred meals, ranging from a 10,000 won ($9) salmon bagel sandwich to a 12,000 won chicken fried rice, at least three days prior to departure.

This is not the first time that a local low-cost carrier has charged for in-flight food. The country’s largest budget carrier Jeju Air took the lead by ceasing to provide free snacks and selling food on its longer flights in 2013.

Jeju Air sold some 1,400 preordered in-flight meals in May, according to the company. Among six preorder meal options, bulgogi with rice was the most popular dish, followed by a low-calorie lunch box.

As Eastar Jet makes the move, other airlines may be tempted to follow suit as they seek to find revenue sources and try to appeal to customers with different approaches from conventional carriers.

For budget airlines, offering more customized services without having to increase ticket prices is a core mission.

“As LCCs offer consumers a relatively low fare, they not only charge them for in-flight meals, but also let customers preorder their desired meals while full service airlines’ traditional food services provide limited dishes selected unilaterally,” a Jeju Air official said.

Currently, other low-budget carriers ― Jin Air, Air Busan and T’Way Air ― provide snacks such as bananas, yogurt and ham sandwiches free of charge on long-haul flights.

Air Busan is the only local LCC that offers a hot meal for long-haul passengers.

“It is Air Busan’s policy to provide warm meals and drinks to passengers, although we offer low fares,” the company’s official said.

“We won’t be able to make immediate profit by charging for in-flight food (like other airlines) but if our free meal service goes viral it could have a positive impact on the company in the longer term,” he said.

By Park Han-na  (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)